Christmas Greetings from Cair Paravel
by Wildhorses1492
Summary: You are hereby invited to a Yuletide ball at Cair Paravel, hosted by their Royal Majesties High King Peter, King Edmund, Queen Susan, Queen Lucy, and the High King's wife, Queen Amalia. Greetings and Merry Christmas, 'tis "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!"


**_~Christmas Greetings from Cair Paravel~_**

**~{|~~~~|}~**

**_It's the most wonderful time of the year  
With the kids jinglebelling and everyone telling you  
Be of good cheer  
It's the most wonderful time of the year_**

**.**

**.**

"I'll get you, _Your_ _Majesty_!" Edmund shouted with a laugh as the High King's stallion galloped past him and his mount. The blond young man simply laughed as he pulled up his bay stallion several seconds later, snow kicked up by the animal's hooves. "I won, I _always_ win!" he called out, waiting until his brother had ridden up alongside him to boast over his victory.

"Lucky you," Edmund muttered, patting his black stallion, Night, on the neck. Both kings reined their horses to a stop as several children ran passed them, oblivious to the high-strung animals they played around. The children laughed and shouted carols, waving strands of bells in the air as they ran.

"This really is the most wonderful time of the year, you know," Edmund commented, watching the children go off down the street before kicking his mount back into a walk through the wintry, cobbled streets of Altair. The High King and his brother had just finished a tour of the city, making sure all was as it should be for this Yuletide's Eve.

"Merry Christmas King Peter, King Edmund!" Several of their subjects shouted jollily, walking past them with wrapped brown packages most-likely filled with trinkets and gifts for their family members and close friends.

"Uresta sends her greetings, my Kings!" a Satyr called out as he walked to the gates, going home for the holidays.

"Tell her they are warmly received by all residing at the palace, Relvar!" Edmund called back.

"Yes, Sire, this _is_ the most wonderful time of the year. I could not agree more," Peter said, looking across to his brother with a smile. Both joked around by calling each other "Sire" and "Your Majesty" since their crowning. Though it was proper etiquette, both insisted they would rather go by their given names, and agreed that, when in the company of friends and relations, they would do so. Alone and with an audience, as when they held court, they would address one another with their long, imperious titles.

"It really can't be nearly eleven years since our coming, can it?" Peter asked, dismounting in the stables, looking over his mount's back to meet his brother's brown eyes as he unsaddled the stallion.

"It is, and I believe tomorrow is the anniversary, is it not?" Edmund asked, fiddling with the trappings on his saddle as he thought about their coming. Even after all these years, thinking about that time was still painful for him. It brought back dark memories he would rather forget.

"Take heart, brother, all has been forgiven. Be of good cheer, now 'tis not the season for dark memories. Come, Amalia and the girls are waiting for us," Peter said cheerfully, putting his arm around his brother's shoulders as they walked out of the stable to the tall castle.

**.**

**.**

**_It's the hap-happiest season of all  
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings  
When friends come to call  
It's the hap-happiest season of all_**

**.**

**.**

Edmund, Peter, you're back!" Lucy shouted, running to them from where she was decorating the great hall with Amalia and Susan. She grabbed Edmund's hands and swung him around, laughing. Edmund played along and joined in her merriment, his quiet demeanor broken by Lucy's vibrant streak of life. The halls echoed with their laughter and footfalls as they danced around the majestic, vaulted marble room.

"Lucy, really, you're supposed to be twenty! It is not fitting for a woman of your age to go dancing and squawking about as if one was eight!" Susan said with a twinkle in her eye as she glided over to her siblings. She did not truly mean what she had said, for the holiday reached through her proper manners, as it did with everyone, and brought out her good nature. She unconsciously twirled a strand of grey hair too short for her long braids. If a body looked close, they could see the small battle scar that caused the unnatural grey bit of hair, but Susan typically dyed the lock. Though, having been so busy with decorating and the festivities, she had quite forgotten the wayward strand.

"You shall never guess who decided to pay us a visit this year!" Susan turned to her older brother, as she had given up hope of getting Edmund and Lucy to stop their play.

"Oh really, who? Do tell! Whoa!" Edmund shouted, and turned to look over at his sister from where he was dancing, nearly tripping over Lucy as he stopped concentrating on their wild dance. Falling to the ground, his silver crown bouncing across the marble floors with a clang, he looked over at Lucy with a grin. "Little children will never learn to stop pretending!" He laughed, helping her back up before chasing after his crown. "I agree!" she replied, skipping over to join her sister, brother, and his wife, Queen Amalia.

"Well . . . who?" Edmund asked, finally joining them, rubbing at a tarnished spot on the silver of his crown before placing it back on his head.

"Mr. and Mrs. Beaver; they journeyed all the way here from Beaversdam! Now, Mr. Beaver has acquired several grey hairs since we last saw him, but he's still he jolly old self, and Mrs. Beaver is just as full of season's cheer. They'll join us shortly, after they have a rest."

"Rest? Come on humans, while we're young! Do you really think I'm going to travel all the way here and take a _nap_ before saying greetings to all of you? Certainly not! Though, last time I was here, these stairs weren't quite so long, nor so tedious." The happy voice shouted from the stairs at the far end of the room.

"Mr. Beaver, do you really expect to talk to their Majesties like that and not get a tongue-lashing?" Mrs. Beavers silvery voice called out as she appeared behind her husband.

"I expect he doesn't. Peter once threatened to turn him into a hat, and I believe he is owed a large breadth of leeway in what he discusses, do you not agree, High King Peter?" The golden voice coming from behind them caused everyone to turn in surprise and happiness. The warmth of summer and the calmness of spring were carried to them in that gentle, yet commanding tone. Light seemed to fill the room as the royals and the two beavers turned to behold the Great Lion.

"Aslan! You came, and just in time for Yuletide too!" Lucy cried in excitement, rushing to the lion.

"I am pleased the Great King of kings could venture to Cair Paravel to be with us on this auspicious occasion!" Edmund said, smiling. Aslan smiled back, as only the Great Lion could.

"Oh, Aslan, I was just _hoping_ you'd join us this season!" Lucy whispered into his soft golden mane.

"I could stay away no longer, dear one," Aslan replied, putting a velvety paw around her in embrace.

"It is truly good to see you again," Susan said, smiling. "Ah, my gentle queen of the Southern Sun. I see you are well, I am glad of that." He nodded his head in her direction, referring to the complications regarding Rabadash. She blushed slightly, before recovering herself.

"Yes, it is good to be here, though I can't be with you long. Now, where is this son of the Son of Adam I have heard about?" He turned his gaze to the High King and his wife. Amalia smiled down at the baby before walking over with Peter to where Aslan stood.

"May you someday rule with bravery and courage, little one, whatever befalls you in your path of life," he said softly, breathing on the child. Since the defeat of the Witch it was not uncommon for Aslan to bless young children and newborns.

"What do you call him?" he asked, looking up at the two from gazing down at the baby. "Lucian, Aslan." Peter said, smiling down at his wife and putting an arm about her waist.

"Well then, Let's see this fingerling!" Mr. Beaver cried happily, arriving at the end of the hall. Everyone laughed as Mr. and Mrs. Beaver fussed over the baby. Aslan reclined by the fire, telling Lucy and Edmund stories of old Narnia while they lounged around him on the floor, as they had when they were children. I rather like to think that they never grew up.

**.**

**.**

_**There'll be parties for hosting  
Marshmallows for toasting And caroling out in the snow  
There'll be scary ghost stories  
And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago**_

**.**

**.**

"Peter, hurry, the guests are coming!" Amalia called up the stairs, waiting for him. The Royal Women, as Peter and Edmund referred to Amalia, Lucy, and Susan, were hosting yet _another_ Yuletide ball, though this one was different, as children had been invited along with their parents. For night was Yuletide Eve.

"I'm coming my dear, but Lucian woke; I don't think he wanted to miss another ball this year," Peter said with a smile, handing her the fussing baby. She smiled back, cooing at the little one as they walked into the great hall.

The adults danced while the children ran about the edges of the room, laughing and giggling as they chased one another, mythical and human Narnian children alike. After several hours, Mr. Tumnus presented marshmallows with an artful flourish, directing the noisy group to the large hearth, sticks filled with the white, sticky treats in hand. The adults soon joined them as the evening wore on, once they grew tired of dancing.

"King Edmund, tell us one of your ghost stories!" several children piped up when the brunet king walked into sight.

"No, let High King Peter tell stories about Yuletides from his world!" yet another group shouted.

"No, no, let's get Queen Susan, Queen Amalia, and Queen Lucy to sing carols!" still more cried eagerly.

"Children, Quiet!" Peter intoned over the loud arguing of which monarch should go first. A dead silence filled the room as the squabbling stopped.

"How about an agreement of peace? I say the High King should tell us a story first for all of you young ones, myself included." Peter looked at him witheringly; it was just like the Just king to have him go first. Edmund shrugged, smiling. Peter remembered more stories from their world, being oldest, and he couldn't change that.

"Then, following the tale, the Queens will sing carols," here Edmund grinned at his sisters, despite their looks of dismay, "and then I will end with a ghost telling. Well, are these terms of peace agreeable, or shall you have declared a war against us?" Edmund looked around at the children expectantly. He wasn't called the Just King for nothing.

"Yes! We agree! Tell us a story, King Peter!" the young ones all chorused. Peter smiled at the eager faces indulgently before sitting in an armchair and beginning.

"How about the story of the Miracle Tree? Yes? Well then. . . In a country called England, long ago and far, far away, there was a horrid, ghastly war going on, and four children were told there wasn't going to be a tree that year. Well, one day they awoke to shouts and cheers from the foyer. Running downstairs they discovered their father and several of his friends bringing in a tree, much like this one here, though, not so very large," Peter commented, looking over at the majestic fir tree in the center of the darkened room, candles aglow on its many branches.

""Do we really get a tree?" the children shouted ecstatically. "No, I just thought this tree would look better here in the house than outside. . ." At their dismayed faces he laughed and said, "Yes, of _course_ the tree is yours!" Well, they spent seemingly hours debating exactly where they wanted it to stand, finally deciding on the large room in the front of the house. That evening they sat around it on the floor, wondering what they would do now; there were no gifts to go under it, as they hadn't any means to buy presents for themselves or their parents.

""Well, what do we do now?" the oldest girl asked, looking around. "Perhaps, well, perhaps we don't need gifts. We have each other, and father is not hurt or been sent away yet, and we have mother. We are better off than others. Isn't that right?" the youngest girl asked, staring up at the tree. "Yes, you're right!" her brother said, jumping up excitedly. He dashed off, leaving his oldest brother and sister, along with his youngest sister, sitting there quite confused.

"He came back moments later with their mother and father. "We are the best present I think. We have each other, and right now, that is all we truly need," he said softly. Everyone agreed, the tree was a miracle, but the true miracle was realizing the meaning of Christmas is not wrapped packages with shiny ribbons, but the gift of family, and the love of one person to another," Peter finished, looking around at the silent children, his gaze coming to rest on Edmund.

The Just King did not remember that Christmas, he knew, but the High King did. It was one he would never forget, especially now.

"What carol should we sing?" Susan called out.

"Dark Now Light!" requested a small faun sitting near the front, his little playmates nodding. It was basically a Christmastime tale put to song about the four royals, and how they brought the return of Christmas to Narnia.

"Oh, very well," Susan said, smiling.

"_The frost glinted in the moonbeams,  
__The Witch shall live forever it seems._

_Reigning in a winter without good cheer  
__She brought nothing, and took everything dear._

_Then the sun grew in strength and light,  
For Aslan's chosen four were now in sight!_

_The Witch at last to meet her bitter end  
The charm undone, the land now to mend._

_Yuletide was come, And then for the sun,  
There the winter was divided and undone._

_Hark, there now shines the glow of light,  
For Aslan stands forever in our sight.  
Darkness now becomes our light. . ."_

Everyone soon joined in on the verses, singing at first with gravity, the adults remembering the horrors of the truly eternal winter before the Four and Aslan brought its death. Then they started to smile, and sang because they knew the Witch would not reign over them again.

"Now, which ghost story do you want?" Edmund asked after they'd sung several carols, the children looking sleepy. He was hoping this final act would put them to sleep, as his "ghost tales" were rather mild by his own comparisons.

"Maugrim, please?" a Centaur colt asked, his chestnut colored legs curled up underneath him.

". . .then the White Witch's Police captain halted his search for the prince and princesses in the woods, knowing they had been tricked by a crafty liar. He lifted his head and howled for his pack. They came rapidly to his side and gathered around him. "Bring me back that Fox, I want to ask him something," Maugrim snarled. Silently several of the pack darted off into the underbrush. . ." Edmund trailed off, noticing the sleeping children. Good, he'd rather not finish the tale, as most of it was true because he'd heard it from the Wolf Captain's mouth, adding only a few of his own embellishments to make it a bit more frightening.

"It seems as if our night has come to an appropriate end, Ladies, Gentlemen. I fear the hour is late, and these little ones are in need of their beds. Tomorrow Father Christmas brings them gifts under their own trees," Edmund said, returning to his somber attitude of wise councilor and just king.

"Farewell your Majesties, and Merry Christmas! The mothers, fathers and married couples whispered as they left with the tired children. The four Kings and Queens walked back into the castle as the snow started to fall again, singing a carol softly to themselves as they thought about the coming day.

**.**

**.**

_**It's the most wonderful time of the year  
There'll be much mistletoe-ing  
And hearts will be glowing  
When loved ones are near  
It's the most wonderful time of the year**_

**.**

**.**

Lucy and Edmund dashed off once the last carriage was well on its way. Peter and Amalia walked in last, talking about the ball and how wonderful they thought the year had been. They looked up when they heard muffled laughter from above. Susan stood next to the tree, a hand over her smile. Edmund and Lucy leaned out over the banister of the grand staircase that bordered either side of the wide double doors, holding mistletoe out over the marble balustrade.

Peter looked over at Amalia with a bemused yet hopeless expression. "I believe they would be very disappointed if we do not give them what they wish, don't you agree, my King?" Amalia queried merrily, her eyes sparkling.

"There is no less embarrassing way out of this predicament, is there?" he asked as she faced him and slid her arms around his neck. "No . . . it was an excellently planned conspiracy, however. . ." she whispered before he kissed her.

Lucy and Edmund grinned at one another. Hurrying down the stairs, they joined Susan next to the tree. "I wonder, now you've got them started, how long before they stop?" Susan laughed softly at their dismayed expressions. "Ahh, I see you had forgotten. Well, no matter."

"It just feels good to be together for this Yuletide. We couldn't help it, this is the most peaceful it's been since the beginning of this month, and we've been planning this for weeks!" Lucy confided, glancing around the tree to where the High King and his wife still stood.

"Yes, being together is the best gift. Truly so," Susan murmured, turning to stare into the flames of the roaring fire.

"The most wonderful time of the year is now," Edmund said, putting his arms around his dear sisters.

"Yes, when all our loved ones are near and family seems so close," Lucy agreed.

**.**

**.**

_**It's the most wonderful time of the year  
There'll be much mistletoe-ing  
And hearts will be glowing  
When loved ones are near  
It's the most wonderful time  
It's the most wonderful time  
It's the most wonderful time of the year**_

**.**

**.**

"We hope you enjoyed the party; perhaps we'll invite you again next year? Merry Christmas and a happy new year! Remember to spend time with all your family and close friends, as that is the true meaning of Christmas. Everyone here at Cair sends their Christmas greetings!"

_**It's the most wonderful time of the year…..**_

* * *

**A/N:**

**Well, what do you think? I won nothing of course (excepting Queen Amalia and Prince Lucien)! The characters belong to C.S. Lewis and these lyrics are from Amy Grant's version of the Christmas carol. This is a small one-shot connected to my Star Cycle universe, I hope you enjoyed it!**

**WH**


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